Question 1

What were the social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905?

Accepted Answer

The Social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905 was backward:Social Conditions: 85% of Russia's population was agriculturist. The industries were there, but rarely they were privately owned. Workers were divided on the basis of their occupation. They mainly migrated to cities for employment in factories. The peasant community was deeply religious but did not care much about the nobility. They believed that land must be divided amongst themselves.Economic Condition: Russia was going through a bad period economically. Prices of essential good rise while real wages decreased by 20% leading to the famous St. Petersburg strike. This strike started a series of events that are together known as the 1905 Revolution. During this revolution, there were strikes all over the country, universities closed down, and various professionals and workers established the Union of Unions, demanding the establishment of a constituent assembly.Political Condition: Political parties were illegal before 1914. The Russian Social Democratic Workers Party was founded in 1898 by socialists who respected Marx’s ideas. In 1903, this party was divided into two groups - Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks, who were in majority, were led by Lenin who is regarded as the greatest thinker on socialism after Marx.

Question 2

What were the main changes brought about by the Bolsheviks immediately after the October Revolution?

Accepted Answer

The main
changes which were brought about by the Bolsheviks immediately after the October
Revolution:Banks and Industries were nationalized.Land was declared social property, thereby allowing peasants to seize it from
the nobility.In urban areas, houses were partitioned
according to family requirements. Old aristocratic titles were banned, and new uniforms were designed for the
army and the officials.

Question 3

Make two lists: one with the main events and the effects of the February Revolution and the other with the main events and effects of the October Revolution. Write a paragraph on who was involved in each, who were the leaders and what was the impact of each on Soviet history.

Accepted Answer

February Revolution:  22nd February: Factory lockout on the right bank took place.  25th February: Duma was dissolved.  27th February: Police Headquarters ransacked. Regiments support the workers. Formation of Soviet.  2nd March: The Tsar abdicated his power. The Soviet and Duma leaders formed a Provisional Government for Russia. The February Revolution had no political party at its forefront. It was led by the people themselves. Petrograd had brought down the monarchy, and thus, gained a significant place in Soviet history. Trade Unions grew in number. With no monarchy to rule the Russian future would now be decided by the constituent assembly which was going to be elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage.

October Revolution:  16th October: A Military Revolutionary Committee was appointed by Soviet.  24th October: The uprising against the provisional government begins. Military Revolutionary Committee controls the city by night and ministers surrender. The Bolshevik gained power. The October Revolution was primarily led by Lenin and his subordinate, Trotskii and involved the masses who supported these leaders. It marked the beginning of Lenin's rule over the Soviet, with the Bolsheviks under his guidance. The Bolshevik party after the revolution came to be known as the Russian Communist Party.

Question 4

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTION Explain Lenin's 'April Theses'.

Accepted Answer

After the downfall of the monarchy in Russia in February 1917, the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia from his exile in April 1917. He felt that it was time for Soviets to take over power. He put three demands which were known as Lenin's 'April Theses'. They were:(i) The war (First World War) be brought to an end.(ii) Land be transferred to the peasants. (iii) The banks be nationalised.When Lenin came to power he became active to bring changes Banks were nationalised in November, 1917. This meant that the government took over ownership and management. Land was declared social property and peasants were allowed to seize the land of the nobility. In March 1918, despite opposition by their political allies, the Bolsheviks made peace with Germany at Brest Litovsk.

Question 5

Why did the Tsarist autocracy collapse in 1917?

Accepted Answer

The Tsar
first dismissed the initial two Dumas and then packed the parliament with the
conservatives. During the First World War, the Tsar took decisions without
consulting the Duma. Large scale casualties of Russian soldiers in the war
further alienated the people from the Tsar. Burning of crops and buildings by
the retreating Russian armies created a huge shortage of food in Russia. All of these led to the collapse of the Tsarist autocracy in 1917.

Question 6

Explain any five effects of the Russian Revolution of 1917 over Russia.

Accepted Answer

The effects of the Russian Revolution of 1917 over Russia were as follows:(i) The Russian Revolution put an end to the autocratic Tsarist rule in Russia.(ii) It led to the establishment of world's first communist/socialist government. The new Soviet Government announced its withdrawal from the First World War.(iii) The Socialist Government announced the nationalisation of all industries, private lands, banks, mines, railways, telephones etc. These were declared as state's property.(iv) Planned economic development started at the time of Stalin. The collectivisation of agriculture was introduced by Stalin. From 1929, the party forced all peasants to cultivate in collective farms.(v) Planned economy soon turned the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) into a powerful industrial nation by the Second World War.Poverty began disappearing from Russia. With the outbreak of the Second World War, USSR had given socialism a global face.

Question 7

Describe the important events of the October Revolution in Russia.

Accepted Answer

The Bolshevik Revolution or the October
Revolution overthrew the provisional government
and established the Soviet Union. It only took six months for the Bolsheviks to
prepare this. Upon realizing that, it is difficult to maintain power in an
election based system without sharing power with the other parties, the
Bolsheviks decided to abandon the democratic process in January 1918. They then
declared dictatorship rule which was the reason for the Russian Civil War which
lasted till 1920.

Question 8

Who was the leader of the Bolshevik Party?

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

What was the contribution of Lenin to the Russian Revolution?

Accepted Answer

The contribution of Lenin to the Russian Revolution:(a) Lenin was a Bolshevik leader, who gave a slogan to the people, 'Bread for breadless, land for landless and peace of all'.(b) The revolution started by Lenin aimed at raising the standard of living, bringing about prosperity and establishing social equality.(c) His government nationalized all means of production to increase industrialization.(d) Lenin's policies were collectively termed as 'war communism'. There was state control over labour and state distribution of goods.(f) Lenin launched the 'New Economic Policy'(NEP) which was partial return to market and monetary economy. It was a temporary compromise between capitalism and communism.

Question 10

Write short notes on the following:1. Kulaks2. The Duma3. Women workers between 1900 and 19304. The Liberals

Accepted Answer

(1) It is the Russian term for wealthy peasants who Stalin believed were hoarding grains to gain more profit. By 1927-28 the towns of Soviet Russia were facing an acute problem of grain supplies. Kulaks were thought to be partly responsible for this. Also to develop modern farms and run them along industrial lines the Party under the leadership of Stalin thought it was necessary to eliminate Kulaks. (2) During 1905 Revolution, the Tsar allowed the creation of an elected consultative parliament in Russia. This elected consultative parliament in Russia was called Duma.
(3) They made up 31% of the factory labour force by 1914 but were paid almost half and three-quarters of the wages given to men. However, interestingly, it was the women workers who led the way to strikes during the February Revolution.
(4) They espoused a nation that was tolerant towards all religions; one that would protect individual rights against the government. Although the liberals wanted an elected parliamentary form of governance, they believed that the right to vote must only belong to men and that too the ones who were property holders.